Retail fueling environments usually include a plurality of fuel dispensers located in a forecourt area outside of a convenience store building. Typically, the fuel dispensers will each be equipped with pay-at-the-pump capability by which the customer can perform the fueling transaction using a user interface on the respective fuel dispenser. For example, the customer can present a credit or debit card using a card reader installed on the fuel dispenser's user interface to pay for the fuel without entering the store. Internally, the dispensers typically contain flow meters, pulsers, control electronics, valves, manifolds, and internal piping. Many of these components are subject to regulatory requirements to maintain a high degree of accuracy.
Various additional systems may also be provided in the fuel dispensing environment, some external and some internal to the fuel dispenser. For example, the convenience store will generally be equipped with a point-of-sale (POS) system to handle certain functions relating to transactions that occur in the retail fueling environment. Transactions are recorded using the POS for inventory reconciliation and other recordkeeping purposes. In addition, the POS may allow the station's manager the ability to set options associated with the POS or the service station, such as the appearance of receipts issued by the stations' dispensers.
Traditionally, the POS was also configured to handle payment processing and included forecourt control functionality. More recently, some fueling environments have been deployed in which payment processing and forecourt control is handled by a separate device, which may be referred to as “enhanced dispenser hub.” Such a device is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,438,064, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. In addition, there is a desire to provide video and audio at the fuel dispenser for advertising or entertainment purposes. In this regard, a separate media source may interact with the fuel dispenser's display(s), as described in U.S. Pub. No. 20090265638, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Generally speaking, separate computers are provided to handle the disparate functions of dispenser control, forecourt systems, media, automation, and connectivity.